Nissan's LEAF EV Sells Out for 2010

Nissan's electric LEAF has sold out for this year, with 19,000 pre-orders for the $33,000 car.

Nissan's electric LEAF has sold out for this year, with 19,000 pre-orders for the $33,000 car. This exceeded expectations; the company says that it may have to stop taking reservations. Nissan is aiming at selling 500,000 electric vehicles starting in 2013.

First reports on the quality of the LEAF seem to be positive. The car has a 100-mile range, a top speed of 90 mph, and the $33,000 price is reduced to $25,000 after the federal tax credit. It's also roomy (five seats and a big trunk), and Nissan has apparently managed to manufacture the cheapest electric car battery yet, making the car more affordable.

Electric vehicle revolution or futureless trend?
You can't help but think that the Gulf oil spill will probably give these electric cars a useful boost over the next couple of years. 19,000 pre-orders seems like a good start... if the company can follow through and deliver a good car. (NY Times via Ecogeek.)

Jamie Lendino is the Editor-In-Chief of ExtremeTech.com, and has written for PCMag.com and the print magazine since 2005. Recently, Jamie ran the consumer electronics and mobile teams at PCMag, and before that, he was the Editor In Chief of Smart Device Central, PCMag's dedicated smartphone site, for its entire three-year run from 2006 to 2009. Prior to PCMag, he was a contributing editor for Laptop and mediabistro.com. His writing has also appeared in the print editions of Popular Science, Electronic Musician, and Sound and Vision,...
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